JP5885420B2 - Information processing apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that simulates the operation of a sheet material conveying apparatus and displays a simulation result in a graph.

  A simulator is used to verify the operation of the control software of the sheet material conveying apparatus. In Patent Document 1, a reference position for verification is set for components of the transport mechanism such as a nip portion of a roller, and it is determined whether or not a relative position with respect to the reference position is within an allowable range. In Patent Document 2, the position of the sheet material on the conveyance path is calculated, and the relationship between time and position is displayed in a graph.

JP 2008-176419 A JP 2006-168902 A

  In the control of the sheet material conveying apparatus, the sheet material conveying speed, the sheet material stopping position, the timing at which the sheet material reaches the target position on the conveying path, and the like are set as required specifications. In order to achieve these required specifications, the control software performs various controls. At this time, it is necessary not only to verify whether the behavior of the sheet material is within the allowable range of the required specifications, but also to verify the legitimacy of the control of the process leading to it.

  However, in Patent Document 1, since evaluation is performed only when some change occurs in the components of the transport mechanism, the operation of the control software is valid if the position of the sheet material is within the allowable range at the evaluation timing. It is judged that there is. For example, even if there is some problem in the control software and the sheet material to be conveyed is stopped in the middle of processing, it is detected as normal if the position of the sheet material is within an allowable range at the evaluation timing.

  Further, in the sheet material conveying apparatus, it is rare that the conveyance control is performed at a constant speed from the start of conveyance of the sheet material to the end of conveyance. In other words, in the conveyance control of the sheet material, various controls such as resuming the conveyance after stopping the sheet material, accelerating / decelerating the sheet material at a predetermined timing, and reversing the conveyance direction are performed. ing. Therefore, in order to determine whether the conveyance of the sheet material is as designed, it is necessary to compare and verify the change in position due to the conveyance of the sheet material and the change in design position. In the configuration described in Patent Document 2, although the movement state of the sheet material is known, when complicated conveyance control is performed, it is determined whether or not the sheet material is conveyed as designed. Have difficulty. That is, it is difficult to verify the correctness of the control by finely determining the conveyance state of the sheet material.

  The present invention provides an information processing apparatus that simulates the operation of a sheet material conveying apparatus and can easily recognize a difference from the design value of the conveyed sheet material, and a program that causes a computer to function as the information processing apparatus. .

  According to an aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus includes a CPU simulator that simulates the operation of the control unit of the sheet material conveyance device, and a sheet material conveyance unit of the sheet material conveyance device according to a signal output from the CPU simulator. Conveying section simulator for simulating the operation of the sheet, reference trigger information for defining the reference trigger in the simulation operation for conveying the sheet material by the CPU simulator and the conveying section simulator, and position information for defining a plurality of positions on the conveying path of the sheet material conveying apparatus And a definition information storage means for storing time information for defining a design value of time in a simulation operation in which the sheet material reaches each position defined by the position information with reference to the generation of the reference trigger, and the generation of the reference trigger The time and position information in the simulated operation is defined based on the detection means for detecting the reference trigger and the time and information on the occurrence of the reference trigger. A first relationship that is a design value relationship with each position is obtained, and a second relationship between the time in the simulated operation and the position of the sheet material on the conveyance path is determined from the result of the simulated operation, And a graph creating means for creating and displaying a graph showing the difference of the second relationship.

  Further, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a program causes a computer to function as the information processing apparatus.

  The relationship between the position on the conveyance path and the time is displayed in a graph so that the difference between the design value and the simulation result can be visually recognized, thereby facilitating the discovery of a potential problem in the control software and the identification of the cause when a malfunction occurs.

The block diagram of the information processor in one embodiment. The figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the information processing apparatus in one Embodiment. 1 is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus that is a simulation target of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a configuration diagram of an engine unit of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The figure which shows the information stored in the definition information storage part in one Embodiment. The flowchart of the graph drawing process in one Embodiment. The graph which a graph preparation part draws in one Embodiment. The flowchart of the graph drawing process in one Embodiment. The graph which a graph preparation part draws in one Embodiment. The block diagram of the information processor in one embodiment. The flowchart of the graph drawing process in one Embodiment. The graph which a graph preparation part draws in one Embodiment. The block diagram of the information processor in one embodiment. The flowchart of the graph drawing process in one Embodiment. The graph which a graph preparation part draws in one Embodiment. The figure which shows the space | interval and length of a sheet | seat material. The block diagram of the information processor in one embodiment. The figure which shows the information stored in the definition information storage part in one Embodiment. The flowchart of the graph drawing process in one Embodiment. The graph which a graph preparation part draws in one Embodiment. The graph which a graph preparation part draws in one Embodiment.

  In the following description, the time or time which proceeds in the simulation, that is, the simulation operation, is referred to as simulation time or simulation time. For example, in the case of simulating a conveyance operation at a conveyance speed of 100 mm / second, when simulating a movement of 100 mm of the sheet material, the simulation time is not limited to the time actually required for the simulation operation, that is, the actual elapsed time. It will proceed for 1 second. Further, in the following description, the simulated time or simulated time is simply expressed as time or time unless otherwise specified or it is clear that the actual time is indicated from the context.

  (First Embodiment) The information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment can be realized, for example, by executing a program in the computer system 201 shown in FIG. 2 is a host computer, and the hard disk 208 stores a program for realizing each function of the information processing apparatus and various data including information on the simulation target apparatus. The central processing unit (CPU) 206 loads the program and various data into the main storage unit 207 and executes them, whereby the computer system 201 operates as an information processing apparatus. The display device 203 displays a screen in accordance with an instruction from the main body unit 202. A keyboard 204 is used to input user instructions and character information to the computer system 201. Further, the mouse 205 is for inputting an instruction corresponding to an icon or the like displayed at the position by designating an arbitrary position on the display device 203.

  Next, an outline of an image forming apparatus which is a sheet material conveying apparatus simulated by the information processing apparatus in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the image forming apparatus 301. The controller unit 401 can communicate with the host computer 400 and the engine control unit 402. Upon receiving image information and a print command from the host computer 400, the controller unit 401 analyzes the received image information and converts it into a video signal, and sends a print start command and a video signal to the video interface unit 410 of the engine control unit 402. Send out for each sheet material. The engine control unit 402 includes a CPU 411 that executes control software for controlling the engine unit 403, and controls various actuators such as a motor, a clutch, and a solenoid of the engine unit 403. The engine unit 403 includes a sheet material conveyance unit and includes members that perform printing on the sheet material.

  Next, a printing operation in the engine unit 403 will be described with reference to FIG. When the engine control unit 402 receives the print command, the engine control unit 402 rotates the pickup roller 302 and the feeding roller 303 to feed the sheet material from the cassette 323. When the sensor 304 detects the sheet material, the engine control unit 402 rotates the rollers 305 and 306 to convey the sheet material to the roller 308 for registration. When the sensor 307 detects the sheet material, the engine control unit 402 stops each roller after a predetermined time. Thereafter, the engine control unit 402 outputs to the controller unit 401 a / TOP signal that is a reference timing for outputting a video signal. The controller unit 401 outputs a video signal in synchronization with the / TOP signal, and outputs a print start command when printing continues.

  Thereafter, the engine control unit 402 rotates the rollers 308 and 305 and 306, conveys the sheet material to the position of the rotating photoreceptor 309, and forms an image on the sheet material. Further, the engine control unit 402 continues to convey the sheet material, and the roller 310 heats and presses the image formed on the sheet material to fix it on the sheet material. Thereafter, the sheet material is discharged to the tray 315 by the rollers 311 and 314. A sensor 312 for detecting the sheet material is also provided downstream of the roller 311.

  Next, the information processing apparatus 500 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, a CPU simulator 501 simulates the operation of the engine control unit 402 of the image forming apparatus 301 in FIG. 3, and the conveyance unit simulator 510 simulates a sheet material conveyance operation by the conveyance unit of the engine unit 403. Is. The CPU simulator 501 executes control software for the image forming apparatus 301 that is the verification target, and outputs a control signal to the conveyance unit simulator 510 when printing is started. The position calculation unit 514 of the conveyance unit simulator 510 calculates position information on the conveyance path of the sheet material based on the control signal, and the position information holding unit 513 holds this position information. Further, the conveyance unit simulator 510 simulates the states of the sensors 304, 307, and 312 in FIG. 4 and notifies the CPU simulator 501 of the values when these output values change.

  In the present embodiment, the relationship between the time and the position of the sheet material is displayed as a graph so that the difference from the design value of the conveyance state of the conveyed sheet material can be easily recognized. At this time, both the design value graph and the simulation result graph are displayed. Therefore, a definition information storage unit 550, a detection unit 530, and a graph creation unit 560 are provided.

  First, each piece of information stored in the definition information storage unit 550 will be described. The reference trigger information 551 is information that defines a reference trigger used as a reference in the design value graph display. As the reference trigger, a control signal output from the CPU simulator 501, a position of the sheet material, and an elapsed time after starting the simulation operation are used. The position information 553 is information that defines a predetermined position on the sheet material conveyance path of the image forming apparatus 301 to be simulated, and is used as a measurement position for measuring time. The time information 554 indicates the arrival time in the simulation operation of the sheet material to each measurement position indicated by the position information 553 with reference to the time when the reference trigger 551 is generated. FIG. 5 shows an example of information held by the definition information storage unit 550. In FIG. 5A, the reference trigger is a drive signal change of the pickup roller 302, and in FIG. 5B is a change of the TOP signal. In the position information 553, the positions of a plurality of members in FIG. 4 are set as measurement positions. The position is based on the contact point between the cassette 323 and the conveyance path, that is, the position 0. In the time information 554, a design time at which the sheet material reaches each measurement position based on the occurrence of the reference trigger is set. These pieces of information are created in advance by the user and set in the information processing apparatus.

  The reference trigger detection unit 531 of the detection unit 530 detects the occurrence of the reference trigger specified by the reference trigger information 551 from the control signal from the CPU 501 or the position information from the transport unit simulator 510. Further, the measurement position arrival detection unit 533 detects whether or not the sheet material has reached each measurement position specified by the position information 553 from the position information of the sheet material calculated by the conveyance unit simulator 510. When detecting the generation of the reference trigger or the arrival of the sheet material at each measurement position, the detection unit 530 notifies the graph creation unit 560 of the fact.

  The graph creation unit 560 acquires from the CPU simulator 501 the simulation time when the reference trigger occurs and the time when the sheet material reaches each measurement position. Then, a graph indicating the simulation result and the design value is created and displayed on the display unit 561. Here, the simulation result graph is created from each measurement position indicated by the position information 553 and the simulation time when the measurement position is reached. The design value graph is created from the simulated time when the reference trigger is generated and the time information 554 for each measurement position.

  Hereinafter, the graph creation processing in the information processing apparatus 500 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. With the start of processing, the detection unit 530 monitors the reference trigger and the arrival of the sheet material at each measurement position. When the detection unit 530 detects the arrival of the sheet material at the reference trigger or each measurement position in S1, the graph creation unit 560 acquires the simulated time from the CPU simulator 501 in S2. In S3, the graph creating unit 560 determines whether or not the one detected in S1 is a reference trigger, and if it is a reference trigger, draws a design value graph in S4. On the other hand, if the detection at S1 is the arrival at the measurement position, a simulation result graph is drawn at S5. The graph creation unit 560 determines whether or not the sheet material has passed all the measurement positions in S6, and the detection unit 530 and the graph creation unit 560 perform steps S1 to S5 until all the measurement positions are passed. Repeat the process. When the sheet material passes through all the measurement positions and the simulation operation related to the conveyance of the sheet material is completed, the graph creating unit adds color to the difference between the simulation result and the design value in S7.

  Hereinafter, the definition information storage unit 550 will be specifically described assuming that the information of FIG. 5B is set. First, when the arrival of the leading end portion of the sheet material to the sensor 304 is detected in S1 due to the start of the simulation operation of the conveyance process, the graph creating unit 560 acquires the simulation time from the CPU simulator 501 in S2. Assuming that the time at this time is 10500 (milliseconds), in the graph showing the relationship between the simulated time and the position shown in FIG. For example, a black circle is drawn at the intersection with the position. In FIG. 7, the vertical axis indicates the name of the member, but indicates the position on the conveyance path, that is, the position information of FIG. Subsequently, at time 11500 (milliseconds), the arrival of the leading end portion of the sheet material to the sensor 307 is detected. In this case, the graph creation unit 560 draws, for example, a black circle at the intersection of the time 11500 (milliseconds) in FIG. 7 and the position of the sensor 307 and draws a line connecting the black circles in S5.

  Subsequently, it is assumed that the detection unit 560 detects a change in the TOP signal from 0 to 1 in S1, and the time at this time is 12500 (milliseconds). As shown in FIG. 5B, the design value reaches the sensor 307 faster by 300 (milliseconds) than the reference trigger. Therefore, the design value at the time of reaching the sensor 307 is 12200 (milliseconds). Become. Therefore, the graph creation unit 560 draws, for example, a black square at the intersection of the time 12200 (milliseconds) in FIG. 7 and the position of the sensor 307 in S4. Similarly, in S4, the graph creation unit 560 obtains a design value of time for all other measurement positions indicated by the position information 553, draws a black square at the position, and further, as shown in FIG. Draw a dotted line connecting each black square. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 600 indicates the detection time of the reference trigger. Thereafter, the above processing is performed until the sheet material passes through all the measurement positions, thereby completing the simulation result graph as shown in FIG. Finally, the graph creation unit 560 colors the difference as shown in FIG.

  As described above, the difference between the relationship between the position on the conveyance path and the arrival time (first relationship) and the relationship between the position of the conveyance path and the arrival time (second relationship) in the simulation result can be displayed in a graph. This improves the visibility of the difference from the design value. In addition, since both the simulation result and the design value are drawn in a graph, the comparison with the design value becomes easy, and it becomes easy to find the bug of the software and identify the cause of the malfunction.

  (Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, both the simulation result and the design value are drawn in a graph. In this embodiment, only the difference with respect to the design value of the simulation result is displayed. Hereinafter, the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described. The configuration of the information processing apparatus in the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, the graph creation processing in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. By starting the process, the detection unit 530 monitors the arrival of the sheet material at the reference trigger and each measurement position in S11. In S11, when the detection unit 530 detects the arrival of the sheet material at the reference trigger or each measurement position, in S12, the graph creation unit 560 acquires the simulation time at that time from the CPU simulator 501 and stores it. In S13, the graph creation unit 560 determines whether or not the sheet material has passed all the measurement positions, and the detection unit 530 and the graph creation unit 560 perform S11 and S12 until all the measurement positions are passed. Repeat the process. When the sheet material passes all measurement positions, in S14, the graph creation unit 560 calculates the time difference between the design value and the simulation result for each measurement position, and draws the graph in S15.

Hereinafter, the definition information storage unit 550 will be specifically described assuming that the information of FIG. 5B is set. For example, it is assumed that the arrival time at the sensor 304 is 10500 (milliseconds), the arrival time at the sensor 307 is 11500 (milliseconds), and the detection time of the reference trigger is 12500 (milliseconds). The time difference from the design value is
The time difference in the sensor 304 is +200 (milliseconds), and the time difference in the sensor 307 is +700 (milliseconds). A positive time difference indicates that the position has been reached earlier than the design time.

  The graph creation unit 560 obtains time differences from the design values for all measurement positions, and draws the graph shown in FIG. 9, for example. In FIG. 9 as well, a positive time difference indicates that the measurement position is reached earlier than the design value, and a negative value indicates that the measurement position is reached later than the design value. .

  In the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, data at each time is stored and drawn at the same time after the simulation operation is completed. As in the first embodiment, the graph is drawn while performing the simulation operation. You can also

  As described above, the time difference between the simulation result and the design value is displayed in a graph, thereby improving the visibility of the time difference. Further, in the present embodiment, since the time difference is displayed, it is possible to quickly confirm the occurrence location and the value of the difference, and it is easy to find a software bug and identify the cause of malfunction.

  (Third Embodiment) In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the time when the measurement position is reached and the difference between them are displayed. In this embodiment, the difference between the position of the sheet material and the position of the design value at a predetermined time is displayed. Hereinafter, the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment. In FIG. 10, the CPU simulator 501 and the transport unit simulator 510 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted. Each information stored in the definition information storage unit 550 in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, in the present embodiment, the time information 554 indicates the measurement time. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the detection unit 530 includes a measurement time detection unit 534 instead of the measurement position arrival detection unit 533 in the first embodiment. The measurement time detection unit 534 detects that each measurement time defined by the time information 554 has been reached after the detection of the reference trigger.

  Hereinafter, the graph creation processing in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. With the start of the process, the detection unit 530 monitors the reference trigger in S21. When the detection unit 530 detects the reference trigger, the graph creation unit 560 acquires the simulated time from the CPU simulator 501 in S22. The detection unit 530 waits until the measurement time is reached in S23, and notifies the graph creation unit 560 of the measurement time. When the notification of the measurement time is received, the graph creation unit acquires the position information of the sheet material at that time in S24, calculates the difference from the design value in S25, and draws the difference calculated in S26 on the graph. The graph creation unit 560 determines whether or not the sheet material has passed all the measurement positions in S27, and repeats the processing from S23 to S26 until all the measurement positions pass.

  Next, the definition information storage unit 550 will be specifically described assuming that the information of FIG. In S <b> 21, the detection unit 530 detects a change from 0 to 1 in the drive signal of the pickup roller 302 that is a reference trigger, and notifies the graph creation unit 560 of the change. The graph creation unit 560 obtains time information from the CPU simulator 501 in S22 upon notification of reference trigger detection. For example, it is assumed that the acquired time is 10,000 (milliseconds). Subsequently, the measurement time detection unit 534 of the detection unit 530 monitors the simulation time, and reaches 500 (milliseconds), which is the arrival time of the leading edge of the sheet material to the sensor 304, as shown in FIG. If so, the graph creation unit 560 is notified of this. When notified from the detection unit 530, the graph creation unit 560 acquires the position of the leading edge of the sheet material at that time from the conveyance unit simulator 510 in S24. For example, if the position of the leading edge of the sheet material at this time is 55 (mm), the design value is 50 (mm), so the difference is +5 (mm). Thereafter, similarly, the graph creation unit 560 creates the graph shown in FIG. 12, for example, by obtaining the position of the sheet material at each measurement time and obtaining the difference from the design value of each position. The horizontal axis in FIG. 12 represents the simulated time. In FIG. 12, the horizontal axis represents the member corresponding to the position that should be reached by design at that time.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is easy to check the occurrence time and the amount of the difference, and it is easy to find a software bug and identify the cause of malfunction.

  (Fourth Embodiment) In the third embodiment, the position difference at each measurement time after the generation of the reference trigger is acquired. In the present embodiment, it is possible to acquire the position difference even before the reference trigger is generated. Hereinafter, it demonstrates centering around difference with 3rd embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the information processing apparatus in the present embodiment, in which a log storage unit 580 is provided in the information processing apparatus in the third embodiment shown in FIG.

  The log acquisition frequency definition information 581 of the log storage unit 580 is information indicating the log acquisition frequency, and an arbitrary value equal to or greater than the minimum time unit of the CPU simulator 501 is set. The log storage unit 580 monitors the simulated time, repeatedly acquires the position information of the sheet material from the conveyance unit simulator 510 for each log acquisition frequency, and acquires the acquired position information of the sheet material and the simulated time at that time. Are stored as log information 582.

  When receiving the notification of the detection of the reference trigger, the graph creating unit 560 determines whether or not the measurement time exists before the reference trigger based on the time information 554. If it exists, the position at the measurement time before the reference trigger is acquired based on the log information 582 stored by the log storage unit 580 and drawn on the graph.

  Hereinafter, the graph creation processing in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. By starting the process, the detection unit 530 monitors the reference trigger in S31. When the detection unit 530 has not detected the reference trigger, the log storage unit 580 determines whether or not it is the log acquisition timing based on the acquisition frequency defined by the log acquisition frequency definition information 581 in S37. If it is not the log acquisition timing, the process returns to S31. If it is the log acquisition timing, the log storage unit 580 stores the simulated time and the position of the sheet material as log information 582 in S38.

  In S31, when the detection unit 530 detects the reference trigger, in S32, the graph creation unit 560 acquires the simulated time and the position of the sheet material at that time from the CPU simulator 501 and the conveyance unit simulator 510. In S33, the graph creation unit 560 obtains the arrival time at each measurement position based on the simulated time when the reference trigger is generated, and creates a design value graph. Thereafter, the detection unit 530 waits until the measurement time comes in S34, and notifies the graph creation unit 560 of the measurement time. Upon receiving the notification of the measurement time, the graph creating unit obtains the position of the sheet material at that time and draws a simulation result graph in S35. The graph creating unit 560 determines whether or not the sheet material has passed all the measurement positions in S36, and repeats the processes of S34 and S35 until all the measurement positions pass.

  Next, the definition information storage unit 550 will be specifically described assuming that the information in FIG. 5B is set. In the setting shown in FIG. 5B, since the reference trigger is a change in the / TOP signal, the log storage unit detects the time and the sheet for each log acquisition frequency, for example, every 1 (millisecond) until this change is detected. The material position is saved as log information 582. Thereafter, when the detection unit 530 detects the reference trigger, the graph creation unit 560 creates a graph of the design value. For example, if the detection time of the reference trigger is 12500 (milliseconds) and the position of the sheet material at that time is 165 (mm), a graph of design values indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 15 is obtained. Reference numeral 601 represents the position of the sheet material at the reference trigger detection time.

  In S <b> 34, the graph creating unit 560 determines whether there is a measurement time that has already passed. As shown in FIG. 5B, the measurement times corresponding to the sensors 304 and 307 exist before the reference trigger. Therefore, in S <b> 35, the graph creation unit 560 determines position information at the measurement time of the sensors 304 and 307 from the log information 582. Specifically, since the design time of the sensor 307 is 1800 (milliseconds) earlier than the reference trigger, the position of the sheet material at 12500-1800 = 10700 (milliseconds) is determined from the log information 582, and a graph is drawn. Similarly, since the design time of the sensor 304 is 300 (milliseconds) earlier than the reference trigger, the position of the sheet material at 12,500−300 = 1200 (milliseconds) is determined from the log information 582, and a graph is drawn. After that, every time the measurement time is reached, the position of the sheet material at the measurement time is drawn, for example, to draw a simulation result graph indicated by a solid line in FIG.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the measurement time can be set even before the generation of the reference trigger. That is, the position difference can be determined using an arbitrary reference trigger.

  (Fifth Embodiment) In the first to fourth embodiments, only the tip position of the sheet material is used. However, in the evaluation of the conveyance control, it may be necessary to evaluate the length from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the sheet material, the interval between the sheet materials, and the like.

  In FIG. 16A, the length of the sheet material is the difference between the positions of the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet material, but if the sheet material is bent, the difference between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet material. Becomes shorter than the original length of the sheet material. Accordingly, the amount of bending can be determined by comparing the original length of the sheet material and the difference between the leading end and the trailing end. Further, as shown in FIG. 16B, the difference between the trailing edge of the preceding sheet material and the leading edge of the succeeding sheet material is the interval between the sheet materials, and this value is compared with the design value. The variation of the interval from the design value can be determined. In the present embodiment, the difference from the design value is visually recognized by displaying the deflection of the sheet material and the difference in interval in a graph.

  FIG. 17 is a block diagram of the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment. In FIG. 18, the CPU simulator 501 and the conveyance unit simulator 510 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. In the present embodiment, the reference point information 591 in the definition information storage unit 590 is information indicating a first reference point and a second reference point, which are reference points for calculating the length or interval of the sheet material. The reference point difference design value information 593 is information indicating the design value of the difference between the first reference point and the second reference point, that is, the design value of the length or interval of the sheet material. Further, the drawing frequency information 594 indicates a graph drawing interval, and an arbitrary value equal to or greater than the minimum time unit of the CPU simulator is set. These pieces of information in the definition information storage unit 590 are created in advance by the user and set in the information processing apparatus.

  FIG. 18 is an example of information stored in the definition information storage unit 590. In FIG. 18A, the first reference point is the tip of the Xth sheet material (X is a natural number), and the second reference point is the Xth sheet material that is the same sheet material as the first reference point. This is data for verifying the length of the sheet material. The correction value is set to a predetermined amount when it is necessary to shift the reference point by a predetermined amount. In FIG. 18A, the design value of length is 200 (mm), and 1 (millisecond) is set as the drawing interval. On the other hand, in FIG. 18B, the first reference point is the rear end of the Xth sheet material (X is a natural number), and the second reference point is the next, that is, the X + 1th sheet material. This is data in the case of verifying the interval between the sheet materials at the tip. In FIG. 18B, the design value of the interval is 20 (mm), and 1 (millisecond) is set as the drawing interval.

  Hereinafter, the graph creation processing in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. By starting the process, the graph creating unit 560 waits in S41 until the drawing timing is reached based on the drawing frequency information 594. When the drawing timing comes, the graph creation unit 560 draws the graph in S42. Specifically, the positions of the first reference point and the second reference point on the transport path with respect to the simulated time at the drawing timing are acquired from the transport unit simulator 510, and the time and the positions of the first reference point and the second reference point are graphed. Plot to. In S43, the graph creation unit 560 plots the positions of the first reference point and the second reference point on the graph at the drawing timing until the sheet material conveyance simulation operation ends, for example, creates the graph shown in FIG. To do. In FIG. 20, the solid line indicates the transport state of the first reference point, and the dotted line indicates the transport state of the second reference point.

  FIG. 20 shows the conveyance states of the first reference point and the second reference point, respectively, but the graph creating unit 560 may also display the difference. Specifically, first, the graph of the first reference point is moved by the value indicated by the reference point difference design value information 593 in the upstream direction of the conveyance path, that is, in the downward direction of FIG. At this time, for example, if the first reference point and the second reference point are ideally transported, the two graphs match. That is, both graphs overlap. However, if any of the reference points is not ideally conveyed, the difference between the moved graph of the first reference point and the graph of the second reference point represents a difference from the design value. The second reference point graph may be moved upward in FIG. In the above embodiment, the graph of the first reference point is moved downward by the design value. However, it is clear that the direction depends on how the graph is drawn. Therefore, when the first reference point and the second reference point are both ideally transported, the two graphs overlap each other by moving by the design value. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 21, the difference between the first reference point and the second reference point at an arbitrary position and the design value may be graphed.

  The drawing interval may be performed every time the first reference point or the second reference point moves by a predetermined amount instead of the time.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the difference between the deflection of a certain sheet material and the design value of the sheet material interval can be displayed in a graph, thereby improving the visibility of the deviation of the position difference from the design value.

  In the embodiment described above, the graph is drawn while performing the simulation operation, and the data at each time is stored and the graph is drawn in a lump after the simulation operation is completed. Similarly, the form of drawing in a lump after completion of the simulation operation can be a form of drawing a graph while performing the simulation operation. Further, in each embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the difference from the design value can be colored and displayed, and the visibility can be improved. Further, in each embodiment, one sheet material is transported, but the number of sheet materials is not limited. That is, for example, the detection unit 530 can determine a sheet material for which a graph is generated for an arbitrary number of sheet materials.

  Further, for each embodiment, the simulation result and the graph of the design value can be displayed together to visually recognize the difference, or only the difference can be displayed. Further, when both the simulation result and the graph of the design value are displayed, different coloring may be performed when the simulation result is above the design value and when it is below the design value. Further, by reading all the log information, the graph described in each of the above embodiments can be created in accordance with an instruction from the user after the simulation operation ends.

  As described above, the first relationship between the position on the conveyance path and the design arrival time at the position is obtained based on the reference trigger, and the position and time between the position on the conveyance path and the time are calculated from the simulation operations by the CPU simulator 501 and the conveyance unit simulator 510. Obtain a second relationship. Then, by displaying the graph so that the difference between the first relationship and the second relationship can be visually recognized, it becomes easy to find a potential problem of the control software and identify the cause when a malfunction occurs.

  Further, the first reference point and the second reference point are defined for the sheet material that simulates the conveying operation, and the relationship between the position of both reference points and the time from the simulated operation by the CPU simulator 501 and the conveying unit simulator 510 is shown. The first relationship and the second relationship are obtained. Then, by displaying the graph so that the difference between the first relationship and the second relationship can be visually recognized, it becomes easy to find a potential problem of the control software and identify the cause when a malfunction occurs.

Claims (10)

A CPU simulator for simulating the operation of the control unit of the sheet conveying apparatus;
In accordance with a signal output from the CPU simulator, a conveyance unit simulator that simulates the operation of the sheet material conveyance unit of the sheet material conveyance device;
Reference trigger information that defines a reference trigger in the simulation operation of conveyance of the sheet material by the CPU simulator and the conveyance unit simulator, position information that defines a plurality of positions on the conveyance path of the sheet material conveyance device, and the reference trigger Definition information storage means for storing time information defining a design value of time in the simulated operation in which the sheet material reaches each position defined by the position information with respect to occurrence of
Detecting means for detecting the occurrence of the reference trigger;
Based on the generation time of the reference trigger and the time information, a first relationship that is a design value relationship between the time in the simulated operation and each position defined by the position information is obtained, and from the result of the simulated operation, Obtaining a second relationship between the time in the simulated operation and the position of the sheet material on the conveyance path, and creating and displaying a graph indicating the difference between the first relationship and the second relationship;
An information processing apparatus comprising: The graph creation means displays the difference between the first relationship and the second relationship in a graph by displaying both the graph of the first relationship and the graph of the second relationship.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The graph creating means displays a difference between the graph of the first relationship and the graph of the relationship of the two in a graph.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The detection means detects the arrival of the sheet material at each position defined by the position information,
The second relationship is obtained from the time in the simulated operation when the sheet material reaches each position defined by the position information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. The graph creating means displays a graph of a difference between a time indicated by the first relationship and a time indicated by the second relationship at each position defined by the position information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 4. The detecting means detects each time defined by the time information after detecting the reference trigger,
The second relationship is obtained from the position of the sheet material in the simulated operation at each time detected by the detection means.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. Before the generation of the reference trigger, it further includes log storage means for repeatedly acquiring the position of the sheet material in the simulated operation, and storing the acquired position and its time in association with each other,
The graph creating means acquires, from the log storage means, the position of the sheet material in the simulated operation at the time before the occurrence of the reference trigger among the times defined by the time information. Include in relationship,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 6. The graph creating means displays a difference between the position indicated by the first relationship and the position indicated by the second relationship at each time defined by the time information in a graph;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. The reference trigger is an elapsed time in the simulated operation after the simulation operation is started, a predetermined signal output by the CPU simulator, or a predetermined position of the sheet material in the simulated operation of the conveyance unit simulator. Is reaching,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 .

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